Congratulations to Eric from Washington State for his recipe for "Caramel Chicken".

If you crave something sweet & spicy and you love chicken, this dish is for you.

To prepare this recipe took a little time but it sure was worth it. An abundance of dark brown sugar and spices rubbed under and over the skin made a sweet and spicy caramel like coating so crispy it was almost tasted like a brittle. We ate this hot and at room temperature so it made it perfect for the picnic basket. It is definitely a winner so we would like to thank Eric for submitting his recipe for this lip smacking recipe.

Combine all the spices and brown sugar into small bowl and mix thoroughly. Coat chicken pieces with spices, gently lifting skin to distribute spice rub underneath but leaving it attached to chicken.

Secure the skin with toothpicks at the edges of skin to prevent the skin from shrinking. Transfer chicken skin side up to wire rack set over rimmed foil-lined baking sheet, lightly tent with wax paper, and refrigerate anywhere from 6 to 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Roast chicken until thickest part of smallest piece registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees and continue roasting until chicken is browned and crisp and thickest parts of breast pieces register 160 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes longer, removing pieces from oven and moving them to a clean wire rack as they finish cooking. Continue to roast thighs and/or drumsticks, if using, until thickest part of meat registers 170 to 175 degrees, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven; transfer chicken to rack and let cool completely before refrigerating or serving.

Eating Inn Tip: To help lift the skin away from larger pieces without ripping, use a wooden spoon with the round side up, sliding it back and forth until you just about reach the end of the skin being careful not to go completely through to the other side keeping skin attached on all edges like a pocket.